Bear Creek at Bear Creek Park

Medford, Oregon

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This site was last sampled by Rogue Riverkeeper on 9/13/22. During 2022, according to Rogue Riverkeeper's sampling this site failed to meet the OR standard for water contact safety 2 out of 10 times. This first sampling event of the season was 6/23/22.

Bear Creek is a major tributary to the Rogue - and the most urban! The Bear Creek watershed is largely forested (46%), but also dominated by agricultural (35%) and urban areas (18%). Bear Creek flows through Ashland, Talent, Phoenix, Medford, and Central Point before joining the Rogue River just upstream from Gold Hill.
*While efforts to improve the water quality on Bear Creek are occurring, and this site is part of an ongoing monitoring program - coming into contact with water in Bear Creek is not recommended.

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COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality

Passed water quality tests 60-95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on September 13th, 2022. Rogue Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on September 14th, 2022 at 3:40 PM.

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

Water samples are collected by Rogue Riverkeeper volunteers and our Water Quality intern tests them in our lab which meets the OR Dept. of Environmental Quality data standards. Results are then posted to this page so you will know when it is safe (or unsafe) to swim!

Oregon state criteria for whether a water sample meets the water quality standard for contact is an E. coli result of 406 MPN/100mL per sample or less. Water samples are collected, then sealed and incubated over a 24-hour period at 35+/- degrees Celsius. The results are considered valid for 7 days.

Results based on the Oregon water quality criteria of 406 MPN/100mL are organized as follows:

GREEN = a single sample is below the Oregon water quality criteria for water contact

RED = a single sample exceeds the Oregon water quality criteria.. People and pets should not be recreating in sites labeled red as bacteria levels are considered unsafe for human contact.

GREY = a site with no current data available.

Always use your best judgement when recreating in or near waterways. Pay attention to odd smells, colors, water quality, etc and report anything that looks out of the ordinary.
Be safe, have fun, and thank you for protecting the Rogue!

Water Quality Graph